U.S. Rep. Michelle Park Steel, R-Calif., recently expressed her endorsement on X, formerly known as Twitter, for a new bipartisan bill led by U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky. The legislation, known as the "Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2023," aims to stop the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) ability to manufacture synthetic opioids.
"Last night, I voted for the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act, which will hold the CCP accountable for trafficking enough poison across our southern border to kill every American many times over," Steel tweeted July 26. "Thank you to Rep. Andy Barr for leading this bill to protect Americans from CCP poisoning."
"Make no mistake – there’s no fentanyl crisis without the CCP," said U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., cosponsor of the bill, according to Fox News. "Passage of this bipartisan bill is a critical step in protecting Americans from this deadly substance, and I’m hopeful we’ll get it across the finish line."
Initially presented in May, the bill seeks to enforce sanctions on Chinese opioid producers and target "opioid precursors" – chemicals used not only in the production of legal opioids, but also in the creation of illegal opioids. Under the bill, Chinese officials who fail to take measures to prevent "opioid trafficking" would also be considered opioid traffickers, according to Fox News.
"Since 1999, more than 932,000 people have died from a drug overdose in the U.S., and the CCP plays a direct role in this public health crisis," Barr said in a July 25 tweet. "This is why I introduced The Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act to impose sanctions on Chinese manufacturers of synthetic opioids."
The bill is scheduled for a House floor hearing this week and has already garnered substantial support from numerous legislators, with more expected to join. In addition to Luetkemeyer, other cosponsors of the bill include U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H.; Rep. Gregory Murphy, R-N.C.; Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas; and several others.
Fentanyl substances, which can be up to 100 times more potent than morphine, have emerged as the primary cause of death among adults aged 18 to 49, resulting in 75,000 fatalities last year. The overdose death rate associated with fentanyl in the U.S. has almost quadrupled between 2016 and 2021, according to Energy & Commerce.
